FOLLOW YOUR ARROW
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'Thank God for internet and social networking.' Itachi thought to himself at precisley 6:24 p.m. the following day. He stood still, hands on his hips and shoulders held high as he regarded the people moving casually about the large space in front of him, enjoying for a moment the fruits of his labor.
The Uchiha was never one to be conceited, but damn if he didn't always manage to pull miracles from his ass.
He had yet to go to sleep, but he surprisingly still wasn't feeling the effects of pulling an all-nighter. He was far too giddy for that, and he supposed the insane amount of coffee and energy drinks he'd consumed might have something to do with it as well. But that was all irrelevant. All that mattered now was that everything had come together.
The location of the party had moved to the 4H building on the outskirts of the small town, because the pool hall had already been booked for some other kid's 21st party. This had irritated Itachi beyond belief, because he wanted somewhere with a bar. Now he was not only going to have to pay for a DJ, the rental of the building itself, decorations, and all the other miscellaneous small details, he was going to have to provide the alchohol too.
He considered making it a 'bring your own beer' type of party, but frankly those were tacky, cheap, and most likley would deterr the maximum amount of people from coming. No one wanted to bring their own beer to those things because there was always the moochers that showed up without their own that ruined everyones time.
And besides, it wasn't as if Itachi Uchiha was financially suffering in any way, he could spare the money. It was for Hidan, after all. Maybe it wasn't a sweet sixteen or a 21st, but it's the first birthday his best friend has had since they'd been seperated all those years ago that he'd been sober, not in jail or a rehab clinic, and not completley miserable. Little Hidan was finally growing up, and that was something worth celebrating.
Itachi didn't even mind having to call in quite a few of the I-O-U's and favors he'd been building up over the years, mainly because this was the kind of situation they were meant for. It had been tedious, emailing and calling each person he required help from, reminding them of some time when he'd helped them out of a mess, recalling innocently that they'd promised to make it up to him somehow, and then listing the things he now needed done. Very few of them had needed further convinceing. It was as Hidan had said: Everyone still knew the Uchiha name.
But it was worth it, he acknowledged, smiling happily at the scene laid out before him. Various inhabitants of the town spread around the large, bland room, setting up tables, a platform for the DJ, the lighting system, setting up the dancefloor. People behind him talked excitedly amongst themselves as they unloaded box after box of alchohol and various forms of minor snacks from the delivery truck outside, set up the makeshift bar, and searched through the kitchen for the dishes required to serve such things to people. Itachi briefly considered changing his career to that of a club owner, as a joke to himself, letting out a small chuckle just before a pair of strong arms slipped around him from behind.
"I really didn't think you could pull this off on such short notice, getting tired of eating my words, you know." Kisame's deep but soothing voice muttered into the top of his head, where the giant's chin now rests.
His dedicated lover had arrived no more than half an hour ago, looking absoloutly aweful. At first he'd been adamant not to share any details at all about the Doctors visit last night, but after Itachi had pestered him enough (and given him some aspirin and quite a few bottles of water) he'd finally relented, admitting that he and Dr. Hoku had been up long into the night, drinking and reminiscing and catching up. The way Kisame fondly smiled as he regaled the events warmed Itachi's heart, He was always a sucker for romance, yes, but unshakable bonds between two friends could have much the same effect.
Humanity isn't always so bad.
However, he couldn't be too heavily affected, seeing as he disapproved of Kisame's unintentional sabotoge of his plan. The Doctor was hardley one to go out drinking night after night, he would undoubtedly be exhausted today. Sure, the party wouldn't actually start until Hidan arrived late this evening, and there was the entire day to recover, but that was besides the point.
He'd been fascinated to learn that Dr. Hoku had come to Kisame at very well the same time Hidan finally seemed to waver in his decision to let things be. Those two men were so very, very much alike, if only he could find some sort of projector to plug directly into his own brain, he could show them from his eyes how rediculous they were being to play these games with each other. How obvious it was to him (if not everyone else) that they obviously had some sort of destiny-alighned spark between them.
"Everyone has their own way of teaching themselves not to doupt me. Humiliation seems the route you've taken." He replied smartly.
"Who said I was embarrassed? I'm humbled to be repeatedly beat down by you. It's sexy to be dominated by one so small and powerful." He purred, giving his lover a squeeze
"There you go calling me small again..."
"But you're so beautiful when you're riled. I can't help myself." Kisame bent over then, running scarred lips over the perfect porceilan skin of the shorter's neck, pulling down the high collar of his coat as he did so, fingers ghosting across his clavacle.
Itachi closed his eyes, sighing at the shiver that went through him at the action. "Get that out of your system now Kisa, I really do need your eyes tonight."
Yes, something was going to happen tonight, if he had to tie both stubborn men down and pour alchohol down their throats, if he had to lock them in a closet together afterwards for days on end, he was going to make sure of it.
Being relitivley short, (though not really, he was an average size, he constantly reminded himself. It was an easy thing to forget when you hung around a giant all the time.) he needed Kisame's height and extra eyes to keep an eye on the two men, as well as all the rest of the party-goers. He'd openly advertised the party via social networking last night after he'd succeeded in convincing the grouchy woman at the courthouse to rent it to him on such short notice, and anyone at all might show up and cause trouble.
Being the creator of this scheme, he was therefore the responsible party if anything went wrong. It was Kisame's job, with his towering height and muscular girth, to help him keep devious patrons in line.
"Mm, I'll be your trusty right-hand man, my liege. Bodyguard, bouncer, and secret lover."
"I never knew you were into roleplaying." Itachi laughed, twisting around inside the embrace to face his scarred boyfriend, slipping his own arms up around the much taller man's neck. "You realize we're in plain view of all of the commonfolk right now? You're a terrible assistant. What if they were to see us?"
Kisame let out a husky gutteral sound, firmly grasping Itachi ass with both hands. "We can't have that..." He muttered into his ear, lifting the Uchiha up with ease and smothering the slight squeal the younger let out at being forced into a standing-straddle on the man.
Carrying them both, he stepped backward to remove them from the larger room, made his way down the short hallway and slipped into the public bathroom. There wasn't any way to lock the door, so he simply turned around and pinned the smaller man against it, ignoring his protests.
"I wasn't being serious Kisame! I have to supervise-"
"They'll be fine for a few minutes... or hours."
"Hours!?" Itachi repeated incredously. "What on Earth are you intending to hold me hostage back here for hours for?"
"You're not a hostage, you can go anytime you wish."
"I wish to go now."
"I don't believe you." Kisame said lowly, lifting his arms and effectivley sliding the Uchiha up the door until they were the same height. He brought their lips together then before Itachi had a chance to say anymore, and just like every other time, the raven-hair turned to putty in the man's strong but gentle embrace with a kitten-like moan.
Kisame had been acclimating with unexpected speed and grace to their relationship, often taking the Uchiha completley off guard with his spontaneous passive-aggressive moments of lust such as this one. Though of course Itachi did his best not to seem taken by surprise, it was the case with each pursuasal from the giant of a man. Kisame was such a happy-go-lucky man, soft-spoken most often and content to do whatever was suggested and remain neutral the rest of the time. Itachi was a little ashamed to say it but he honestly had never forsaw the man being so tenacious when aroused.
Obviously he would be like any man, wanting to dominate and own his partner, subconciously or not. But Itachi was admittedly delighted with the entertaining idea that Kisame was so open about what turned him on, and that he didn't mind being the property once in awhile. That was always the fun part about having a same-sex relationship, the roles could so easily be reversed, even though Itachi would unabashedly admit that he was the female role. He didn't mind, honestly. He'd never been one to deny his personality and the things he liked and wanted. He liked men, men who looked and acted like men, not other feminine males like himself. And to attract men as such, you had to be what they desired.
And obviously it worked, Kisame was wrapped around his finger. Well, theoretically. Right now Itachi was more or less the victim, bending to the will of his lover to engage in the scandal in the public restroom when there were much more important tasks to be adheared to.
It was irritating to him, as much as he secretly loved it. Here he was trying to be respectful of the major lifestyle change his boyfriend went through and take things slowly, and on random occasions like this the oaf had him so hot and bothered that he damn near reverted back centuries to the mental state of a neanderthal, grunting and moaning against the mans touches and caressing until he felt he might just tie the idiot down and force himself on him.
A tounge invaded his mouth, sending his senses into a spiral as the taste of Kisame flooded his system. His own hands reached to cup the mans jawline on either side of his face, slipping up to tangle his fingers in the mans hair and pull him closer still.
Always at the most inoppurtune times this kind of thing happened. Kisame did nothing to hide the fact that he was always aroused when Itachi involved himself in tasks that made him take on roles of leadership. And as a result of that the man always acted on it that very moment, while the Uchiha was caught up in trying to get things done instead of waiting until later, or for one of their date nights.
Since Hidan's childish warnings to Kisame that night when their relationship began, Itachi had made a habit of going to Kisame's, instead of inviting the man back to his apartment where he would undoubtedly be teased to oblivion. He held not ill-will against his roommate, but it would be nice if once and awhile he could just go find something to do for a few hours. Itachi didn't mind getting out of the house, so much, and Kisa didn't seem to mind at all having someone to share his empty flat and bed with, but it was the principle of the matter. He wanted to show his boyfriend a good time as well, be the entertainer occasionally instead of the guest. But, he refused to ever state these feelings out loud. He couldn't complain anyway, because having things the way they were gave them complete privacy, plenty of time, and fine oppurtunities for the scarred man to act. But he rarely did. He always stuck to less passionate methods, cuddling, tender but uneventful kisses, always along those lines.
Itachi tried to not let this bother him either, as he was well aware of the fact that the man probably still feared doing anything with him of a sexual nature, and so restrained himself from doing those things to prevent the situation from escalating to anything he would be uncomfortable with.
But Itachi Uchiha was only human, and he could be just as impatient as Hidan when it came to such matters.
This was another perk to having this party. As a sidequest, he fully intended on getting his unsuspecting boyfriend drunk, under the assumption that he'd be less wary to venture into more intimate situations between them. It wasn't taking advantage of him, he didn't think. He just wanted the man to loosen up, after all, it had been nearly 4 months now and he'd had yet to even get past first base.
Maybe Itachi was exceeding feminine, but he was still a man, dammit. He has needs.
Kisame shifted, pushing against the smaller man more and moving the Uchihas to where he could hold him up with one hand, the other sliding up the edges of his hips, waist, above his shoulders, and finally to his head where he could grip the loose ebony locks. He pulled gently, forcing Itachi's head back and parting their hungry mouths to favor his throat, sucking and nipping at the sensitive skin just below his jawline.
Itachi let out a breathy sigh of approval, letting his own hands slip back down the toned chest of his lover, fingers working quickly to undo the uppermost buttons of the troublesome shirt that kept him from fully appreciating the man's body.
A sharp squeeze to one of his cheeks in time with a bite at his throat made him moan slightly, the mere sound alone eliciting a husky growl from his captor. He was pressed harder against the door, Kisame's lower abs applying wonderful pressure to his thusly responding man-hood below.
With his own lust-laced snarl, he tipped his head back down to reunite their mouths, thrusting his own tongue between his lovers parted lips.
Kisame grunted, waging war between the oral muscles for a few lasting minutes, absently moving his lower torso in a rhythem against the smaller mans groin.
The younger finally succeeded in undoing all the mans buttons, pushing the fabric aside after prying the material from between them, giving him a stunning view of Kisame's generously muscled upper body. He let his fingers trace down his chest, between the pectorals and over the rugged abdominals, savoring every hill and valley before breaking the kiss to get an appropriate view. He ran his fingers gently over the deep scars that spiderwebbed out from the man's right side, and Kisame leaned his forehead against Itachi's, breathing heavily.
"You're beautiful too, you know." He whispered to the older man, sliding his hand along the marred flesh up to his collarbone. He leaned forward somewhat awkwardly, though the other paid no mind, and left a trail of short and sweet kisses along a particularly thick scar that creeped up the side of Kisame's neck. When that came to an end, he reached up to grab the older mans chin and turn his head slightly, kissing the three concentric triangular scars on his cheekbone.
"Everything pales in comparison to you, my Angel."
Itachi smiled an huffed out a laugh. The man was so unreasonably ashamed of his scars. The only thing he wasn't confident about, though he didn't shy away.
The Uchiha personally thought them fascinating. To survive a vicious attack from an angry, protective shark, the kings of the ocean, it was no small feat. The long-healed wounds were brag-worthy in his eyes, only adding the the man's sex-appeal. To recieve such terrible injuries and come out of it holding no grudges or fear against nature, to only have his love of the ocean and all it's endless inhabitant increased by such a traumatic accident... well, there were no words to express Itachi's adoration. Kisame was the epitome of strength, not only in his actions, and physical appeal, but in the 'gentle giant' persona he so happily embraced. His kind heart made Itachi's own quake with affection.
He was surely more than a mere human.
A jiggle of the knob and following knock on the bathroom door interrupted the moment.
"Mister Uchiha, you in there?" A female voice said from the other side of the door. Itachi recognized it as Temari, a sibling of his lawyer who'd come along with Mister Subaku to give her aid. She also happened to be dating one of his fellow psycologists, the very man who attended Hidan in his therapy sessions. The knob jiggled a few more times, and Itachi rolled his eyes. Such a firecracker, that girl was. They'd have to keep an eye on her when this party actually got up and running.
"I am." He answered back, giving Kisame an apologetic smile when the man pouted, moving away and returning Itachi to his feet at the interruption.
"There's a couple guys asking for you, a Yahiko and Nagato? 'Said they're old friends of yours."
His face broke into a large grin now, his excitement sucessfully taming the previous arousal he'd been victim to.
"They made it! Wonderful! I'll be out in a moment!" He said, ignoring the child-like scowl Kisame held as he worked to re-button his shirt.
"These aren't ex's of yours, are they?" He asked, somewhat warily. Itachi couldn't stop the laughter that burst from him at such a rediculous notion. The men had wives and children, after all.
"No, no. Absoloutly not. You should know better Kisa. I don't pal around with ex's, maybe some people like to remain friends after having sex, but personally I think it just clutters things. They're ex's for a reason, why stay friends?" He explained for the hundredth time. A 'gentle giant' Kisame may be, but he'd informed Itachi sternly that he had no problem breaking a few skulls if he ever had to fight for the younger man's love. Turns out the big guy has a little green devil on his shoulder when it comes to matters of the heart, who would have thought?
"Nagato and Yahiko made up the other half of Hidan and I's social circle in Highschool! He's going to be so happy, Kisame, he might just start hitting people." Itachi said eagerly, nearly bouncing in place as he waited for his lover to finish re-dressing himself.
"Did you just say he'll be so happy, he'll attack people?"
"Yes." Itachi said, laughing at the look of confusion he received and waving it off. "Oh don't give me that. It's Hidan, he doesn't make sense, remember?"
Finally the taller man finished rebuttoning his shirt after a chuckle of agreement, and Itachi nearly bolted out the door, Kisame following much more slowly, chuckling to himself. Itachi plus energy drinks, minus sleep, times a reunion of two old friends, equals what?
Damn good entertainment. That's what.
.
"You actually made it!" Itachi shouted, jogging up to the two men and throwing himself at them. They caught him and held his weight between them, laughing.
"Hell yeah we made it!" Yahiko stated, still the same as Itachi remembered, though the man had grown significantly. They both had, he noted. The four of them had all been relitivley the same height, now the brothers were half a foot taller than him, though still lean and somewhat lankey as they'd been as teenagers.
"We do have our own plane, Itachi." Nagato said as the Uchiha reigned himself in. Always the more reserved of the two, Nagato was. Both boys were what society these days referred to as 'Ginger', with the red hair and freckles, Yahiko's being a bright, flaming orange, wirey and unruley, and Nagato's perfectly straight and sleek in a dark red. Being Identical twins, the differences in their hair really was the only way to tell them apart, Aside from Nagato having a slightly narrower jawline, and a sharper nose.
"That's right isn't it? We lost touch so long ago, I'd forgotten how well you two did for yourselves."
"Heh, yeah, it's not easy owning your own corporation." Yahiko said sheepishley, shrugging.
"We had to pull quite a few strings just to be able to come tonight." Nagato explained. "We'll have to be leaving around midnight, but we've the entire day aside from that."
"Karina and Konan stayed behind to keep an eye on things and watch the kids. This is pretty much like a mini-vacation for us."
"You mean I don't get to meet them?" Itachi said, sticking his lower lip out. "Pity, I wanted to see for myself these poor woman who have to put up with you on a daily basis. But oh well, I guess that means you'll just have to come visit again sometime."
"Oh yes. The ten-year reunion is coming up fast, you know. We fully plan on attending."
"Show those dumbasses that picked on us how rich and successful we are, despite not having souls."
"And our sexy ladies too." Nagato said seriously, giving Itachi an entertained look that had him unable to hold in his laughter, feeding it with his excitement and nostalgia.
Again he wrapped his arms around their necks, drawing them in close. "You haven't changed at all! I can't believe it! How do your employees take you seriously?"
The two broke free from the embrace, each wearing their own reminiscent smiles.
"Duh, 'Tachi. We're killer actors, don'tcha know?"
"They don't see us being casual. Have to keep us appearances and all that."
"You haven't changed so much yourself. Look at you, were you always this small?" Yahiko laughed, ruffling his hair. Itachi scowled and slapped the hand away before a light chuckle behind him reminded him of his poor boyfriend, probably standing there awkwardly this whole time.
"I'm not small. Why does everyone call me small?" He said, halfway to himself as he turned to grab Kisame's hand and pull him to stand beside him. "Kisame, This is Yahiko and Nagato Ame. Gentlemen, this is Kisame Hoshigaki. My partner."
"Holy crap, you're big." Yahiko said, eliciting an eye-roll from his brother, who extended his hand.
"It's wonderful to meet you."
Kisame reached out to shake, smiling in his usual friendly manner, to Itachi's approval. Right, Kisa was a people person, he'd somewhat forgotten.
He smiled as his lover and Yahiko exchanged fists bumps, ignoring the 'small' and 'big' comments. He was far too pleased anway. To think these two actually took time out of their horrendously busy day to make a quick trip down here, well, he was flattered.
"Back at'cha. Can't tell you how many stories I've heard about the infamous Ame brothers. It's like meeting a celebrity."
"Oh don't let them fool you with their elegant business suits. These two are hellians." Itachi said, waving.
"Hey, you and Hidan caused just as much trouble as we did, if not more." Yahiko laughed. "Tell me Kisame, Does Itachi still mind-fuck every person he comes across?"
"Oh I beg to differ, I talked Hida out of millions of terrible ideas. You two were too dense to listen to me." He interrupted before his lover could answer, blushing slightly at the last bit. "And I do not mind-fuck, thank you."
"You're still terrible at swearing too." The lighter-haired of the two observed.
"Where is Hidan, by the way?" Nagato interrupted, scanning the room. "How has he been doing? We thought he was in prison there for the longest time."
"Not here yet. The party is a surprise for him. And he's never been to prison, the court always ruled him in favor of insanity, he's been to plenty of mental institutions and drug rehabs though. He's come out no worse for wear, however, aside from a loss of his sense of self, so to say. He's been doing wonderfully since he's been staying with me."
"Ah, I wouldn't expect any less from that psycho." Yahiko said, giving a somber kind of smile. "Or you, 'Tachi. You were always the only one who could manage him. You remember when he accidentally shot that cardinal when the three of us were out by the tracks?"
"You were sick that day. Hidan was inconsolable. We had to end up bringing him to your house."
"You helped him nurse the bird, even though you had bronchitus and could barely talk."
"Then he was sick for the next two weeks. The idiot."
"You can't help but love him though..."
Itachi smiled, the two were even still finishing each other sentences, though not in a literal term. It was rediculous to him really, how so much time could pass, one could feel like they've changed so much, but when met with reminders, the innermost nature of one's personality comes bursting back into the open. "That's very true. He just has that power over people... you love him or you hate him, one extreme or the other. That's Hidan. Hasn't changed one bit."
.
With the arrival of the twins, the rest of the day went exceedingly fast. It was around 7 when Itachi stood back, scanning everything, and finally proclaimed that everything seemed to be in order. They'd gotten done ahead of schedule, and the DJ had arrived a mere ten minutes before that, now setting up his equipment to one side on the makeshift stage that had been constructed of pallats and area rugs; the best they could do on such short notice.
Sometime during the midst of it, A woman with bright pink hair braided into pigtails and a beanie with a rainbow mohawk of yarn had wondered through the door with a curvy ashey-brunette beside her. She'd looked absoloutly lost, until Temari, ever the busy-body, approached her and asked who she was looking for. She was then guided with her blonde escourt over to where Itachi was arranging all the bottles of liquor on a shelf they'd made of wide wooden planks and cinderblocks behind the makeshift bar (Just a few tall folding tables covered in a giant white sheet.) into an almost professional-looking display.
"Hey Itachi, You got more guests." Temari called to him, then quickly excused herself to go re-locate Dr. Nara, Who was here simply for a show of support to his client. He was too smart to ever let himself owe the Uchiha a favour.
Itachi whirled around, eyes landing on the rather short girl, giving her a warm and excited smile.
"Holy fucking fuck." She said, eyes popping open wide and mouth dropping open before he had the chance to say anything.
"Oh my god." Her blonde counterpart said, doing much the same.
Itachi regarded them both in surprised silence for a moment before stepping forward. "Tayuya? I apologize, I never did find out your last name. Thank you for coming, I know it will mean so much to Hidan." He smiled, but it faded after a few moments of both girls simply staring at him, mouths agape.
He cleared his throat, "I'm Itachi Uchiha... Hidan's roommate?"
"Uh, yeah, I fucking figured that much." Tayuya said, blinking herself from the stupified condition. "Are you sure you're a boy?"
Itachi blinked in surprise and slight offense. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Well that fucking sucks. How come that shithead never told me how gorgeous you are?! I'm gonna kick his ass!" She declared loudly.
"Well, I appreciate the compliment. You're very pretty yourself."
"Meh, unfortunatly for the moment, I don't do dudes anymore. Though I might make an exception for you." She said, cocking her hip and looking him up and down.
Itachi suddenly wished very dearly for Kisame's presence. He again cleared his throat, trying to push away his discomfort. he'd been fully aware that the woman was like a female clone of Hidan, if not even more vulgar. But he hadn't predicted being hit on so blatantly by her, especially not with the woman he assumed to be her partner standing right there beside her, practically screwing him with her seafoam eyes. "I'm afraid I'm taken. But I'm flattered. Is this your...?" he let the sentence trail off, gesturing to the girl behind her.
"Girlfriend? Fuck no. Kat didn't wanna come casue Hidan kept calling her a hooker." She explained, shrugging casually. "This is Ni. A friend of a friend of a friend. Only fucking person dumb enough to drive throughout the night without getting paid all for the promise of free alchohol and drunk, horny men. "
He smiled and nodded to the woman, who didn't even seem to acknowledge the insult she'd just received. "Thank you for bringing Tayuya here. I'm very grateful."
"Mm, honey I can think of the perfect way for you to repay me." The girl said seductivley, licking her lips.
Tayuya rolled her eyes and spun around, slapping the girl on the upper arm. "You dumb cunt, He just fucking said he was taken. And he doesn't fucking like chicks, go be a slut somewhere else."
Again the woman seemed completley unaffected by the harsh words which had Itachi wide-eyed now. She only shrugged slightly, gave him one last lingering look, and stalked away. The Pinkette again gave an eyeroll, turning to face Itachi again. "I really fucking hate her, but it was the only way I could fucking make it. So where's that albino fuck!? I'm gonna glomp the shit outta him, haven't seen him in person for years!"
Itachi raised a brow. Glomp? "I was just finishing up here and I was going to go get him. Can I get you anything while I'm right here?"
She waved him away. "Nah, I can get it myself in a sec. Hey, you said you've been listening to our fucking conversations right?"
Itachi nodded.
"So you probably figured out that I'm trying to teach him guitar?"
Again he nodded.
"Thank fucking God. Can you do me a favor and just fucking tell him that you know so his stupid ass with stop being fucking stupid and go get a goddamn guitar already? There's really nothing more I can teach him unless he has one, and I kind of really need to keep some kind of fucking income."
ITachi chuckled lightly, coming around the side of the tables. "I've gone a step farther even. That's what his present is."
"A guitar!?"
"Yes."
Tayuya laughed heartily and gave Itachi a playful punch on the shoulder, which he flinched and recoiled from slightly. "You two are some fucking cute! Why the hell aren't you a couple?"
The raven-hair resisted the grimace at the notion. "We've been best friends since highschool. At this point he's more like a brother to me. That would be... just wrong..." He said, crinkling his nose at the last.
Tayuya only laughed more. "Yeah, I can get that. I thought he was a sexy motherfucker when I first met him, then we fucking got to be friends. I don't really look at him like that anymore. Well... sometimes. But not usually. I don't do dudes anymore though, like I fucking said. Way too much goddamn trouble."
"Hn. I feel much the same about women." Itachi chuckled.
"Right? If everyone were quiere the world would be such a happy place."
"Well I don't know about that..."
"Ahh, I'm just fucking with ya. You gonna go get him or what?"
Itachi nodded, began to walk away, and then stopped. Turning slowly around. "Tayuya?"
The woman was already behind the bar, scanning the bottles. She grunted to signal that she heard.
"Has Hidan mentioned anything to you about liking someone?"
She snapped back to attention at this. "He likes someone!? Ohmygodtellmewho!"
Itachi took a surprised step back when she practically flung herslef onto the table between them. He remained silent for all of six heartbeats, nulling over whether it would be indecent of him to tell her when Hidan has decided not to clue her in. He decided quickly that it probably would be, and shrugged.
"I don't know. I've just noticed some strange behavior. He doesn't tell me everything anymore, so I thought to ask you." Not really a lie, just a stretching of the truth put in an untruthful context.
"Tch. Nah. I don't think he's capable of something like that, us headcases have trouble with that sort of thing, y'know? Can't love someone else when we don't even love ourselves. All that psycho-babble bullshit." She said, waving him off and returning to her previous mission.
He considered this for a moment, bothered by the fact that she seemed to so easily believe such a farse. Many of his fellow therapists said much the same thing to their patients, but it had never been an idea he embraced. Loving yourself was important, but there was also the saying that you are your own worst enemy. Sometimes it took the love of another person, and loving them back, to make one realized that they did, in fact, value their own existance.
He wondered briefly if that was what made Hidan so hesitant to act on his strong feelings for Kakuzu. Did he believe that too? Was he afraid taht he was incapable of such a thing?
It would make sense, he was afraid of feeling the highs because of the lows that would surely follow. He didn't want to risk letting himself feel so good for the fear of having it turn out to be just another letdown.
His brows furrowed in determination. Now, more than ever, he had to make this plan work.
.
It was at this time that itachi announced that they could all help themselves to the bar, and that he was going to go retrieve the guest of honor. He grabbed Hidan's present, which Kisame had brought with him, and set it just inside the door so he could grab it after they arrived. Tayuya spotted it, inquired about it, did a little bit of gushing before returning to socializing with Yahiko, who'd approached her after noticing them having their conversation. Finally he pulled Kisame to the side, and out into the hall.
"You think he'll come?" He asked in a hushed whisper, despite them being well out of hearing range to any prying ears.
Kisame shrugged. "Like I told you, it's anyones guess. I'm hopeful though. I brought it up two or three times last night, he never outright said no. Didn't say yes either, but I'm thinking he'll probably make an appearance."
"Dammit, I wish you could give me details of what he said..." Itachi whined. The Doctor had to show up, he simply had to. Even if nothing at all happened between them, even if his plans didn't turn out how he'd hoped, even if he was somehow miraculously wrong dispite his assumptions that Kakuzu had admitted to Kisame that he liked Hidan, he had to come, at least make an appearance. The party simply wouldn't be complete without him.
"Sorry babe. I really wish I could too, But I promised. I feel bad enough just telling you what I already have."
"I know I know. It's not your fault. I think it's noble of you, really. I just hope he comes, I very well might have to kick his ass if not."
Kisame snorted, putting an arm around Itachi's shoulder and guiding him to the front door. "Itachi, baby, I would give my soul to see that. But if he hurt you, I'd have to kill him... probably die trying. And that wouldn't be so good, seeing as I just sold my soul."
"Are you saying I couldn't hold my own against Dr. Hoku?"
"Well. I mean, if he can kick my ass..."
"Right, I keep forgetting how small I am."
Kisame laughed, sneaking a quick kiss before gently shoving the man out the door he curteously held open for his lover. "Just go get the kid eh? Won't matter if Kakuzu shows up or not if he's not here. Everyone's waiting on him anyway. And he's probably destroyed the house waiting for you."
"Right, He's so impatient. He'll undouptedly berate me for leaving him there alone all day. I told him one of my clients called with an S.O.S. And Yahiko and Nagato have to leave by Midnight as well... That will come all too fast..."
"You're stalling, babe."
Itachi rolled his eyes, flipping his hair dramatically before he whirled and hurried out into the parking lot, nearly skipping in his excitement. Ah, the rewards of being a good friend. They outweighed the pains, unequivically.
-o-
Hidan lay draped across the loveseat once more, stareing boredly up at the ceiling as he watched a fly inch it's way from one end of the room to the other.
Itachi had been gone all. fucking. day.
Tayuya refused to give any sort of lesson today, saying she was taking a weekend off or some stupid bullshit. The dumb whore.
He'd tried studying some more of the sheet music collection he had now, stashed away in his sock drawer, but he was bored with it. He'd already memorized most of the damn things anyway, and the prospect of adding yet another song to his 'To master whenever the fuck I get a guitar' list wasn't all that glamorous to him.
So he'd tried watching T.V. Nothing of interest was on. So he'd taken a shower even though he just took one last night, and shaved, even though he didn't really need it. He'd even gone through all his clothes, picking out his outfit almost as if he were a woman about to embark on her first date. After looking at himself in the mirror and having a brief arguement with his reflection, he'd stripped down again and simply slipped on a pair of faded jeans with large holes in the knees and a basic black V-neck tee-shirt, completing the look with his worn old boots.
After that, he couldn't think of a single thing to do to pass the time. He'd actually resorted to hopping on his laptop and watching music videos, which had at least helped an hour pass by before he got bored with it.
He'd been so excited when Itachi had finally told him they could go out tonight, doing anything else at all just seemed like a huge bore.
"C'mon Uchiha..." He mumbled under his breath.
Five o'clock, he'd told himself. Surely Itachi would be back by five, that was normally considered late enough in the day to start drinking, and Hidan San didn't want to waste one second with sobriety today. Kakuzu had been infesting his mind even more relentlessly than usual since he'd had that talk with Itachi.
He'd had the hope yesterday that talking to the Uchiha would help him figure things out, clear his head a little. But damn it all, he should have known it would only make things worse. At least before he had been reasonabley sure the bastard had no interest in him what-so-ever. But as he explained more and more scenarios that happened between them, the small little details he paid no mind to but at the same time obsessed over, the more his roomate had assured him that he thought there was a distinct possibility that Kakuzu might harbor the same feelings.
"The fact that he's sending out the mixed signals alone is a giant red flag, Hidan. If he didn't like you then he wouldn't bother being decent even half the time."
"Well how the fuck do you explain him giving me more and more and more fucking duties every goddamn day!? He's trying to make me fuck up! I mean, I literally do every single random little task that pops into his head, lit-er-uh-lee. Every single one. He seriously had me take out the trash in his office once."
"Well maybe he's giving you more responsibility because he trusts you, he knows you'll get it done. Take it as a compliment. I mean if he blatantly states that he'll never let you do something, then turns aorund and lets you do it, he has to have some sort of trust in you. That's not a bad thing anyway, think of it this way; How can he insult your intelligence when you keep showing him up?"
"Yeah I guess... He's been looking kind of shitty latley too. I mean he still acts the same, but his eyes are all sunken in and unfocused. Looks like he's fucking stoned all the time... Hey wait! Maybe that's what's wrong with him!? He's secretly a fucking drug addict and he's too goddamn fucked up to do everything so he fucking makes me do it!"
"Hidan... I highly doupt that that's the case. Maybe he's sick."
"He doesn't act sick. Like I said, he acts the same as always, he just looks like a fucking zombie."
"Regardless, I'm standing by what I said earlier. the reason he keeps going back and forth from nice to angry is because you keep reacting so badley."
"What? It's not my fucking fault he does wierd shit randomly for no fucking reason."
"Well you can't keep acting as if you don't appreciate his kindness and then get mad at him when he doesn't show it. You're giving him mixed signals too!"
"I don't know why you're sitting talking as if I'm intentially fucking doing this shit. I'm not gonna go flirt with him!"
"I'm not saying that, how about next time he does something nice, instead of insulting him because you're embarrassed, thank him. And see what comes of it. The way you're going now, it's almost as if you're both in a game of chess but neither of your are willing to jump any pieces. Nothing is going to get accomplished."
"I already toldyou, Uchiha, I don't want to accomplish anything. I just want it to fucking go away. Tired of seeing his ugly mug in my head all the time."
"First of all, Hida. You know he's not ugly, quit lying to yourself. Second, if you didn't want to accomplish anything you wouldn't have come to me for advice. If you didn't want anything to happen you would be fine with things continueing the way they are. Obviously, you are not. you need to stop argueing with yourself, and come to a conclusion. You either want him or you don't. I love you, Hida, but this isn't highschool, and he's far past bothering with games."
"Tch, fuck you. I don't play games."
"You're human, Hidan. You play games."
He hated it. He hated it but he liked it at the same time. He liked the hope, the idea, he liked hearing that maybe, just maybe, this batshit crazy infatuation might result in something. But at the same time he resented it with a burning passion.
It wasn't possible, it just wasn't, the very small (most normally ignored,) rational side of him chided. It's just unrealistic, things like this just didn't happen. He didn't like the hope, it was just going to be crushed in the end anyway, like everything was.
Itachi was just reading too much into it, he was so hopeful himself that he was taking things out of proportion. He appreciated the fact, he was grateful to the man for being so supportive, but...
Well, he just wanted to get his mind off it for a night. Go to a bar, have a good time. Shit, maybe even bring home some drunk chick to distract him. Maybe that was all he needed, a good fuck.
He made a face at how revolting the idea seemed to him, trying to mentally beat the shit out of his brain. He didn't want some random girl, dammit.
He wanted Kakuzu.
No, no you do not.
YES! GODDAMIT! I DO!
Damn it all.
He glanced over at the clock, just after seven, it read.
Fuck it. The alchohol would clear things up. His emotions were easier to read when he was blitzed, so he'd just wait until he was fucked to think about it again. Surely he'd be able to come to a decision then, and either put this mess behind him or fucking be a man and do something about it.
"Goddammit Itachi, hurry the fuck up!" He shouted, pushing himself into a sitting position on the couch. This wasn't fair! That Uchiha was wasteing his time, he could have walked to the bar by now and already be drunk instead of sitting here obsessing over his boss and his afflicting emotions on the matter. In fact, if that Uchiha didn't get here within the next five minutes, that's what he would do! Ditch his ass and go out and take matters into his own hands. He was a grown-ass man after all, he didn't need his roommate babysitting him.
He pushed himself off the couch, storming over to the window and peeking through the blinds into the cloudy late-afternoon. It looked kind of cold, which meant it would be even colder by tonight. Damn, he didn't want to have to navigate home while drunk off his ass in cold weather...
He swore, whirling around and beginning to pace, growing angrier by the second. Five minutes, he told himself. Five more minutes and I'm outta this shithole. Itachi or not Itachi.
Five minutes came and went, and he went to the window again, letting out a shrill when he saw the silver car of his roomate pull into the driveway at that very moment.
"OH THANK YOU JESUS!"
Quickly, he vaulted over the couch, snatched up his coat, flipped off the lights, wrenched open the door and slammed it behind him, then sprinting down the stairs. Itachi was just getting out of the car when he came running out to him.
"Jesus fucking Christ I thought I was gonna be an old fucking man by the time you got here!" He half-shouted, hurrying to get himself seated in the car.
His roommate was surprised for only a second before re-entering the vehicle, putting his seatbelt back on. "I apologize Hidan, if it's any consolation, I'm even done sooner than I anticipated."
"Thank God, I was about to leave your ass and walk to the bar. Seriously." Hidan said, glaring. "Get me all excited and fucking keep me waiting, you goddamn sadist! Fuck your clients, fucking needy bastards. What are you doing just sitting there!? Hurry up, let's go!" He said, waving his hands almost frantically.
"Calm down Hida, we have all night."
"That's not long enough! Quit wasting time! C'moooon!" He said, reaching over and forcing the shifter into reverse, ignoring Itachi's protests.
"Where are we going? Go somewhere that accepts Debit cards, somewhere with a tab. I called the bank, they said I still have 124.65$ in my account. Not for long though."
"Hidan, surely you're not going to spend that much."
"Fuck yes I am! I'm getting plastered! I earned it anyway, I never spend my money on myself."
"Just don't make me carry you home, you know I can't."
"Hey I'm not some light-weight little bitch. This is my specialty, I can handle myself. Hey where are you going? All the bars are that way."
"We're going to a party. I don't want you wasting all your money on over-priced, cheap beer."
"A party? Who's party?"
"Just a dear friend of mine's."
"Who?"
"You'll see when we get there Hidan, calm down."
"Tch, I don't fucking care anyway, as long as there's booze." He finally said, leaning back and crossing his arms across his chest. "Gotta get that fucker out of my head..." He mumbled afterward, causing a curious glance from Itachi.
"You mean Dr. Hoku?"
"Who the fuck else would I mean?"
"Is that why you're so keen to destroy your brain cells?"
"Well not just that. You know I love me some alchohol. I'm ready to have a good time, being responsible fucking sucks."
Itachi laughed, making a right at the sign signalling the approach of the fairgrounds, where the 4H building was stationed.
"The party's out here?" Hidan questioned, making a face. "You better not be dragging me to some intervention, 'Tachi. Seriously. I'll hurt you."
The slightly younger man laughed. "I swear to you, Hidan San, it's a party. Why would there be an intervention? You've been sober for months."
"Well I don't know! That's the only shit I've ever been to at places like this."
"I assure you, you've nothing to fear." He said, coming to park beside a big white cadillac. Hidan wasted no time in launching himself from the vehicle, jogging in place as Itachi followed, deliberatley slowly, with a teasing grin on his face.
"Oh my fucking God Uchiha! I'm gonna throw you over my shoulder and carry you in there if you don't move your ass."
"Don't be childish."
"Well C'mon! Shit's gonna go down if I don't have a goddamn shot of Yeager* in the next ten seconds!"
Itachi finally did speed up now, and the two went inside, Hidan navigated the hall, already hearing the thundering bass from inside, and seeing the multicolored, flashing lights shining into the dark hall. He grinned, growing more and more excited by the minute. Fuck yes, someone really knows how to throw a goddamn party!
He was about to run through the doorway when suddenly he felt soft hands that he knew were Itachi's suddenly close over his eyes.
He attempted to squirm out of them, "What the fuck are you doing you wierdass!" He shouted as the Uchiha managed to keep him blinded, pushing him forward through the door. The music stopped suddenly, and he could see the lights flash back on in the previously dark room through the cracks in the slender fingers.
What the fuck...?
He heard what sounded like a hoarde of people all shushing each other, and suddenly his chest clenched as it finally clicked into place.
"Who's party?"
"Just a dear friend of mine's."
"Oh shit, are you serious?" He moaned, he heard Itachi laugh, and couldn't wipe the huge smile from his face despite the anxiety sweeping over him against his will. Uchiha, you devious motherfucker...
"Happy Early birthday Hida." Itachi said quietly, removing his hands.
-o-
A/N-
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Oh what? You thought something was actually going to happen this chapter?
Heh, so did I. Didn't happen that way though. My bad.
O.O *Dives behind random solid object for protection*
BUT I GAVE YOU KISAITA GOODNESS! Don't be mad at me. Next chapter, shit happens. I swear on my Jashin pendant.
Be there, or be a dumb bitch.
*Yeager- A fucking alchoholic bereage. Derp. I don't own, so fuck off.
*Twirls* ANYWHOSEN! I actually sat down and took time to re-read through this, twice, so if there's still a shitload of typos, I'm going to be seriously pissed. However, knowing myself the way i do, I'm sure there's still a few. So I apologize.
I love you all.
Reviews will continue to convince Kuzu to go to the party. (Even though it's pretty fucking obvious what's going to happen, mostly because most of you will hunt me down and beat the shit out of me if he doesn't show up there. :B) Soooo Don't forget to leave a reviiieeewww!
See you guys next chapterrrrrrr. 3 Peace.